CHANGING LIVES

Maryvale Honors the Feast Days of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal & St. Catherine Labouré

Posted by Maryvale on Nov 25, 2021 7:30:00 AM

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This Saturday, November 27, Maryvale is honored to celebrate the feast days of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal and St. Catherine Labouré. Founded by the Daughters of Charity, celebrating the feast days is one way that Maryvale honors our rich tradition of service and spiritual wisdom. 

 

The Daughters of Charity have been offering Catholic wisdom and essential services to the underserved since 1633, and continue to operate to this day. The Daughters founded Maryvale over 165 years ago, and we are the oldest agency dedicated to serving children in the Los Angeles area. 

 

The story behind this feast day is as captivating as it is mystical. St. Catherine Labouré was an early Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, and many years before that she was a Daughter of Charity in Paris, France. Born in a poor family, Catherine was a simple, uneducated countrywoman who found the Church and dedicated her life to service after her mother’s death. On November 27, 1830 in Paris, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Catherine in the Daughters of Charity’s Motherhouse Chapel. Catherine’s vision was detailed and significant: in it, she was summoned to the chapel by a child clothed in white, with beautiful rays of light coming from all around her. As the apparition went on, Catherine heard a voice that gave her instructions to cast a Medal with a specific design based on what she was seeing, with a letter M that surmounted across the top, as well as the hearts of Mary and Jesus. Catherine was told to forge this Medal, and that it should adorn believers who would be given graces whenever they wore it with pride. The Church has documented healings, miracles, and other special events that have coincided with the Medal. 

 

When Catherine shared her vision with the spiritual leaders of her time, it took years to convince them that her apparition was legitimate. Once it was forged, however, the Medal took on great popularity. By the time of Catherine’s death, an estimated 1 billion Medals were created and worn by people who claimed to have softened their hard hearts, healed from spiritual illness, or converted. These days, the Miraculous Medal is a devotional object that is second only to the Rosary. 

 

At Maryvale, we are proud to continue the legacy of the Daughters of Charity and our great predecessors in the Church. We are committed to providing education, care, and mental health services to Los Angeles’ underserved communities. Maryvale has maintained ongoing services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – we never once closed our doors to our community. If you believe in our work to support children and their families, consider making a charitable donation to help us continue offering essential services.

Topics: Feast Days of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal

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